The Archive
Every issue of the Punchbowl News newsletter, including our special editions, right here at your fingertips.
Join the community, and get the morning edition delivered straight to your inbox.
February 20, 2023
Presented by AARP
You need voters 50 and over on your side.
Voters 50-plus turn out in greater numbers than any other age group. They’re looking for candidates who will fight for their families and their future. Learn more from our latest polling in North Carolina.
PRESENTED BY
THE TOP
Happy Monday morning and happy President’s Day. We’ll only be publishing morning editions this week. The House and Senate are both out of session.
President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Ukraine today, landing in Kyiv after departing from Washington early Sunday morning. This is the first trip by a U.S. president to a war zone in nearly a decade. By 7 a.m. in Washington, Biden had already left the Ukrainian capital, according to Sabrina Siddiqui of the Wall Street Journal, today’s pooler.
With air raid sirens wailing in the background, Biden said he wanted to demonstrate U.S. solidarity with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenzky on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion on Feb. 24.
“I am here to show unwavering support for the nation’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Biden said, per Siddiqui.
Biden also criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for launching a “brutal and unjust war” to destroy Ukraine.
“Thank you so much for coming Mr. President at a huge moment for Ukraine,” Zelensky said in his remarks. “I think that it is a historical moment for our country.”
Biden announced $500 million in new military aid for Ukraine, including artillery ammunition and anti-tank weapons. The two discussed additional types of support, including “long-range weapons,” according to Zelensky, although what that might entail isn’t clear.
The two leaders visited St. Michaels Golden-Domed Monastery in central Kyiv. Biden also laid a wreath at the Wall of Remembrance in honor of fallen Ukrainian soldiers.
Air Force One departed Joint Base Andrews outside Washington early Sunday morning under a tight veil of secrecy. Biden’s official schedule said he was supposed to be at the White House on Monday preparing for a two-day trip to Poland. Only a handful of aides were with Biden in Kyiv, including National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Jen O’Malley Dillon, deputy chief of staff.
Biden’s visit also comes as U.S. officials have determined that Russia has committed war crimes in Ukraine. Vice President Kamala Harris made this announcement during her appearance at the Munich Security Conference
– John Bresnahan
LEADER LOOK
Jeffries begins to bring in big money
One of the big questions heading into this Congress was whether House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries would be able to fill Nancy Pelosi’s shoes in the fundraising space. Pelosi, of course, was a legendary fundraiser during her two decades atop the House Democratic Caucus.
We’re beginning to get some answers.
| → | The DCCC raised nearly twice as much as the NRCC in January. Democrats raised $8.1 million and Republicans took in $4.5 million. |
| → | According to internal party data, Jeffries took in $5.2 million of the DCCC’s January total. In other words, Jeffries himself raised more than the entire NRCC. House Democrats raised or gave $1.8 million. |
| → | Jeffries and his leadership team did a big fundraising swing through New York, Boston, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago last month. That trip raised $6 million for House Democrats and House Majority PAC, the House Democratic-aligned super PAC. |
| → | Last week, Jeffries was in Dallas, Austin, Houston and Laredo raising money for the party. House Minority Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar joined for parts of the trip. |
| → | Jeffries and his leadership team will again be on the road in March to fundraise ahead of the first-quarter deadline. |
More: Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) may remain hospitalized for several weeks – or longer – as he undergoes treatment at Walter Reed Medical Center for depression. The possibility of an extended absence for Fetterman was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
It’s worth noting that the Senate is in recess this week. We’d also point out that there is little of substance happening on the floor at this time beyond nominations. These proceedings are important, of course. But Democrats have enough votes to push through any nominee even without Fetterman.
The Senate has dealt with long medical absences by senators before and will do so again. While Fetterman’s reason for being away from the chamber is unusual – and something a lot of Americans can relate to – the fact that it’s occurring isn’t.
– Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan
JOB MOVES
Pelosi’s Hammill is heading to Senate Commerce
Drew Hammill, the longtime close aide to former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, will join the Senate Commerce Committee, working for Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.).
Hammill will begin this week as a senior adviser to Cantwell and the committee. He will focus on policy strategy for the panel.
Hammill is one of the best known staffers on Capitol Hill. He was deputy chief of staff to Pelosi, handling everything from communications to policy to strategy. Hammill worked for Pelosi for 16 years, serving in the majority and the minority. He’s been on Capitol Hill for 19 years.
– Jake Sherman
PRESENTED BY ALIBABA
Explore how Fender, based in Hollywood, California, hit record sales in China. These sales support jobs and wages in the U.S.
OVERSIGHT WATCH
The week ahead in investigations
Although Congress is in recess, House Republicans continue to move forward on several fronts in their investigations of the Biden administration. Since multiple committees are active along multiple lines of inquiry, we wanted to provide readers with one place to track everything. So here’s a new weekly feature, Oversight Watch. This is our first update.
Field hearing: The House Judiciary Committee heads to Yuma, Ariz., on Thursday for a field hearing on the border. We broke the news last week that only Judiciary Republicans will be attending. Democrats have lambasted the hearing as a “stunt” and claimed they weren’t properly consulted ahead of the trip.
Letter deadlines: House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) has been active in demanding documents and communications as part of multiple probes. While Comer hasn’t used his subpoena power as aggressively as House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), there are a lot of outstanding letter requests. A sampling on what’s due this week:
| → | Comer’s letter to Kathy Chung requesting information on President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents has a Feb. 20 deadline. Chung is also required to take part in a transcribed interview by Feb. 27. |
| → | Comer’s letter to Hunter Biden requesting information on his business dealings has a Feb. 22 deadline. |
| → | Comer’s letter to James Biden requesting information on his business dealings has a Feb. 22 deadline. |
| → | Comer’s letter to Eric Schwerin requesting information on his business dealings has a Feb. 22 deadline. |
Education and Workforce Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) has issued several letters seeking information from the Labor Department, including on outgoing Labor Secretary Marty Walsh. Walsh formally announced last week that he was stepping down in mid-March. Walsh will become head of the NHL Players’ Association.
Foxx’s letter to Labor Department Solicitor Seema Nanda over whether Walsh followed federal ethics rules during any employment negotiations with the NHLPA has a Feb. 22 deadline.
Financial Services Committee Chair Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) and Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), who chairs the oversight and investigations subcommittee, sent a letter to SEC Chair Gary Gensler seeking information on the timing of federal criminal charges against Sam Bankman-Fried, former CEO of bankrupt crypto exchange FTX. The deadline for that letter is Feb. 23.
Subpoena watch: Jordan has fired off a number of subpoenas under his “weaponization of the federal government.” Here are the upcoming subpoena deadlines:
| → | Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Chris Wray and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona have until March 1 to comply with Jordan’s investigation into the Biden administration response to school board protests. |
| → | The chief executives of Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta and Microsoft have until March 23 to comply with Jordan’s investigation into their content moderation policies. |
Did we miss anything on the investigation front from your committee this week? Shoot us a line. Stay tuned for regular investigation updates in each Monday morning edition going forward.
— Max Cohen and John Bresnahan
INSIDE THE HOUSE GOP
At Key Biscayne retreat, talk of money and politics
A huge group of House Republicans spent the weekend at the Ritz-Carlton in Key Biscayne, Fla., at the NRCC’s winter retreat. Most House Republican leaders were in attendance for the entirety of the event.
A few interesting nuggets to chew on:
| → | NRCC Chair Richard Hudson told a group of donors and lawmakers that individual Republicans need to raise more “hard dollars.” Hard dollars are direct, limited contributions to members of Congress. House Democrats have traditionally outraised Republicans, powered by small-dollar, online contributions. |
| → | The NRCC passed out these slides, showing both parties’ vulnerable incumbents. |
– Jake Sherman
Crucial Capitol Hill news AM, Midday, and PM—5 times a week
Join a community of some of the most powerful people in Washington and beyond. Exclusive newsmaker events, parties, in-person and virtual briefings and more.
Subscribe to Premium
The Canvass Year-End Report
And what senior aides and downtown figures believe will happen in 2023.
Check it outEvery single issue of Punchbowl News published, all in one place
Visit the archive
Presented by AARP
AARP knows older voters.
We’ve made it our business to know what matters to people 50 and over—like we know that protecting Social Security and supporting family caregivers are among their top priorities. Learn more from our polling in North Carolina.